Great Turtle Picture

We have been very lucky with turtles on our last few snorkel trips and here is a great shot we got of a hawksbill turtle that swam just below us and that we are using as our background on one of our lap tops.

National Heroes Day

Today is a national holiday in the Cayman Islands celebrating National Heroes Day. The first national hero of the Cayman Islands is James M. Bodden Sr. who actually donated the land on which ICCI sits. He is a national hero for his work in making Cayman a tourism destination in the 60's and 70's. We took advantage of the three day weekend to do a getaway to the Reef Resort on the Northeastern tip of the Island. On Saturday morning we got up very early and drove home to get our bikes and bike back to the resort. The 22 mile ride was into a headwind and for the first time we got to deal with the hilly terrain of East End. Yesterday we biked back home to complete the loop. We returned by going across the north end of the Island on the Queen's Highway to Frank Sound road before turning south and then west again when we got to the southern side of the island. The return trip was a little over 22 miles but much easier because of the tail wind. We had a very restful weekend at the resort, aside from the biking. We are hoping to do the entire loop in a single ride soon but will need to factor in the hills in East End which really affected us. They aren't big hills but there are so many of them one right after the other that they really strain you. We are also doing more jogging to get into shape for another half marathon and both of us are seeing some changes. Last week Scott fit into a pair of shorts that he hadn't been able to use for six months because they were too tight. Katie has hung up a pair of jeans on the bedroom door which is her goal to get back into and she is getting close. We are getting fit and looking better and it is really improving our outlook.

33.12 Miles

This morning we decided to take it up another notch in our biking and try to go an hour and a half out and an hour and a half back. We left early getting out the door at 7:45 a.m. after our breakfast of eggs, spinach and mushrooms for energy. The weather cooperated with overcast skies but a very strong head wind as we made our way east on the main road did not portend good things. In spite of the headwind we headed out through Red Bay and Prospect on to Savannah and then Boddentown, past Pease Bay and Breakers, beyond Frank Sound Road and Heritage Beach to the outskirts of East End. We had rest stops about every thirty minutes for water and granola bars. Eventually, we stopped at the Blow Hole 1 hour and 42 minutes into our ride, the furthest East we have ever gone. The trip out was some 25.5 kilometers. The return trip was actually a little longer because we took the bypass back requiring a trip up Hirst road from Savannah and the return trip requires us to go past the house to a roundabout where we have to double back to get to the entrance to our street. The return trip with a tail wind was much easier though an intermittent cross wind kept psychologically affecting us. We pulled back into the house 3 hours and nine minutes and 33.12 miles of riding later. The actual time was some 3 hours and 45 minutes when you included our rest breaks. We were very proud of ourselves but exhausted having pushed ourselves close to the breaking point.

Next weekend we are doing a getaway weekend out to the east staying at The Reef Resort where we stayed during our first month on the Island to celebrate belatedly our firt wedding anniversary. They are running a 25% discount for locals over Heroes Day which is a national holiday on Monday the 26th so we are taking advantage of our status to get the good deal. Our plan for next Saturday morning is to get up very early drive home from the resort and then bike back to the resort. We would then bike home Sunday morning. Today proved we have the stamina to do the one way trip and with not much more work we will be ready to do the full loop of the eastern end of the island which has been our goal since we got here 20 months ago. Had we not gotten distracted from our biking the past year we would have been able to do this some time ago but everything happens in its own time so we guess now is just the right time.

Back in the saddle again

After several months of almost daily rain and very little opportunity to go bike riding the weather since Christmas has been great and we are cross training with one day walk-running and then the next day biking. We are resting one day in seven and thus getting three runs and three bike rides in each week. Today we decided to kick it up a notch on the biking and did a two hour bike ride from our house in Red Bay east out to Moon Bay. The almost 20 mile ride really pushed us but as we finished we were both pleased to note that we were not exhausted and that building up slowly to this longer ride had been successful. We both came out of Christmas overweight and feeling sluggish but in the last three weeks have both dropped weight with Katie dropping almost 6 pounds and Scott (who had ballooned up to 215, dropping 8 pounds). Our goal is not so much weight loss as it is getting into shape, though the weight loss that comes with it is happily accepted. We would both like to drop 10-15 more pounds each. We were very proud to finish the half marathon in December but distressed at how much it took out of us particularly considering we walked it at a pretty slow pace. We want to do another half marathon this year and shave at least 45 minutes off our time and also do our bike around the east end of the Island. Both of those goals require us getting into shape so we are hard at work on that with daily exercise.

Justice Finally

Texas wins a heartstopping thriller 24-21 Monday night and tonight 24-14 Florida beats the cheating, should never have been in the game, land thieves. Justice delayed but justice finally served. Another college football season in the books, only got home for one game this season, will look forward hopefully to going to many more in person next year.

New Grant of Accreditation

When we first arrived on Grand Cayman in June of 2007 we knew that our first and most important task was helping the college get ready for an accreditation visit that would happen sometime that fall. Several months of work leading up to the visit and almost a year of subsequent work were rewarded yesterday as ICCI received a new grant of three years accreditation through December 31, 2011. With the new quarter starting on Monday this was great news to start 2009 and has given all of us a nice shot in the arm to go forward.

First Snorkel Trip of 2009

This morning we headed north to the Queen's Monument for our first snorkel of the year. It ended up being a short swim as the current and waves were too strong to be swimming as close to the reef as you do up at that site. We headed back to the western end of the Island and went to the Sunset House site where we were treated to a Hawksbill Turtle (pictured with Katie at the left) and a Southern Ray. The rest of the day will be watching football and some work related tasks as we get ready for the quarter to start on Monday.

Happy New Year to everyone, lets hope 2009 is a great year for all.

Happy New Year

2009 should bring some big changes to our lives. We wish all our family and friends a Happy New Year.

Not a Merry Christmas for Everyone

Merry Christmas

Thanks to everyone who sent us cards, gifts and Christmas greetings. It is strange having a Christmas day where the low temperature will be the mid 70's. We are going for a Christmas bike ride and snorkel to continue the tradition started last year. Love to everyone, may you all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Biking the Blue Mountains

One of the longest day trips we took in Jamaica was a tour out to the Blue Mountains in Eastern Jamaica. We caught a tour bus early in the morning and took the two hour bus ride east across the island. The bus ride was great all on its own to see Jamaica. We drove through several towns, saw the James Bond beach where the famous scene in Dr. No with Ursula Andress was shot and got to get a real sense of the Island. We then drove up a one lane road 3000 feet up (that was scarier than any roller coaster you could ever be on) to a cabin high in the mountains. At the cabin we had brunch and then later lunch. We drank some Blue Mountain coffee which is very rich and strong. We then drove another 1000 feet up into the mountains where we got on bikes and rode down the mountain through several coffee plantations that are on the mountain sides. The winding roads that overlooked valleys, rivers and mountainsides with incredible views made for a very interesting ride. We stopped back at the cabin for lunch then continued down the mountain to a water fall called the fountain of youth. The three hour bike ride was spectacular and we absolutely fell in love with the mountains. Although the tour took an entire day and we were exhausted by the time we got back to the resort it was well worth the time and effort.

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone.

Dunn's River Falls

Our first day trip in Jamaica was by far the most memorable. We took a catamaran over to the Dunn's River Falls and literally climbed up the falls. Its the kind of dangerous attraction that would never work in the US where the first time someone fell and broke something they would sue. Here are some photos of our climb. We sent out our Christmas stuff late to everyone so watch your mail the first week of January for our Christmas greetings.

St. Ann Mountain Canopy Tour

Here are some photos from our canopy zip lining up in the St. Ann mountains of Jamaica. At times we were several hundred feet off the ground traversing over nine gorges high up in the tree tops. The longest traverse was 660 feet the shortest was only about thirty feet but was almost straight down from one tree to another further down the gorge. It was a spectacular adventure and really got our adrenaline flowing.

Horseback Riding in Jamaica

Here are a few shots of us riding horses at the Chukka cove in Ocho Rios from earlier this week.

Jamaica Vacation

We are back on Grand Cayman after seven days in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We stayed at the Sandals Dunn's River Resort with gorgeous views of the Caribbean on one side and the St. Ann Mountains on the other. Our room was on the fifth floor and overlooked the main pool with the sea behind it. We did four different day trips, one to climb the Dunn's River Falls, two up into the mountains (one in the St Ann mountains near the resort and the other to the Blue Mountains on the Eastern end of the Island) and a day trip over to a Polo ground where we went horseback riding overland and in a cove. The food was incredible and we had a fantastic time. We will post pictures and give info on the trip and all the activities later.

While we were gone we did get some sad news. Scott's half-Uncle Ian Cummings who lived here on Grand Cayman was killed in a boating accident last week while fishing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time, may he rest in peace.

Jamaica bound

With graduation behind us we are headed to the north coast of Jamaica for a well deserved week long vacation. We are staying at the Sandals resort in Ocho Rios called Dunn's River. We have some day trips planned but mostly are looking forward to just relaxing after a long year. The graduation ceremony went very well. The Leader of Government Business (the Cayman version of Prime Minister) gave the address. Also present was the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health along with three members of the legislative assembly. Its an election year next spring so they all wanted face time. The ceremony lasted about an hour and a half and the church where it was held was filled to overflowing. With 53 graduates it was a very large class. We were both a little stiff from the half marathon earlier in the day but the adrenaline was flowing through the ceremony and that kept us going. Afterward we went to a restaurant on Seven Mile Beach called Luca and had a great dinner overlooking the beach and under the stars.

Half Marathon

In the early morning darkness we lined up on South Church street in downtown George Town for the 5:00 a.m. start to the Cayman Islands Marathon/Half Marathon. In spite of not doing nearly the preparation we should have in terms of training we decided to give it a go. The 13.1 mile route was a loop that the marathon runners do twice. At five sharp the race started and we quickly brought up the back of the pack. Walking at an early pace of seventeen minute miles we got to watch the sun come up over South Sound as we headed east along the road out to Savannah. Around 6:45 we passed through Red Bay and almost right at the two hour mark rounded the half way point and headed back west. Shortly after we rounded the half way point the lead marathon runner lapped us. Meaning we had done 7 miles and he had done 20. We kept a good 17 minute a mile pace until mile 10 where we hit the wall and suddenly the seventeen minute miles became 18, then 19 and by the end 24 minute miles. We crossed the line in 4 hours 5 minutes and 57 seconds beating our goal of 4 and a half hours by a good 24 minutes. We have graduation at 3:00 this afternoon so it will be a very long day. We are exhausted and sore but very proud that we finished. Will upload pictures soon.

When there just isnt time to update the blog

The last month since we got back from Miami has been crazy and the blog has been pretty far down the list of things that needed to get done. We have discovered to our happiness and dismay that Ginger doesnt have anything wrong with her but a bad attitude and so we will need to work on de-conditioning her from peeing on our couch. Graduation is this Sunday and that has meant a month of insanity trying to get everything ready. The rehearsal was last Sunday and the banquet is tomorrow.

We are less than a week from leaving for Jamaica for seven days and a vacation at an all inclusive resort so we are counting down the days. All the roundabouts on the Island now have Christmas lights up and Katie has decorated the stairs with tinsel garland and hung lights on our front window. We also have a small christmas tree up that the cats have not yet decided to knock over but we are waiting for that to happen. The storm did no lasting damage to this Island other than messing up our feeder road and requiring extensive repairs that are still on going. The rainy season still is lingering and has more than overstayed its welcome. Hurricane season officially ended Sunday so we will start taking down all the shutters at the college this next week. We took down the home shutters about two weekends ago.

We are not commenting on the travesty that is the Big XII and the utterly incomprehensible decision to let the land thieves take the place of our beloved Longhorns in the championship game. If there is any justice in the world Oklahoma will lose this weekend and the right team will get to play for the National Championship.

Home in Cayman

We flew back last night and anxiously drove home to find out how our kitties and our house did in the storm. We were very pleased to find the cats doing great and our house had no flooding. There does appear to be some water damage to our kitchen ceiling that we will need to run down and make sure it is from the storm and not a leaking pipe. There was flooding on other parts of the Island, in particular in lower valley and Bodden town. The college cleaning lady got 4 feet of water in her house. The college also sustained water damage and this morning we are going over to assess and help with clean up. The Sister Islands are in really bad shape and everyone should keep the Brackers and residents of Little Cayman in their thoughts and prayers. We had a great time with Kevin, Kristy, Kelsey and Little Scott at Universal Studios and want to thank them for such a fun weekend.

Orlando

We are in Orlando today spending time with Scott's brother Kevin, his wife Kristy and their kids, Scott and Kelsey. We drove up this morning from Miami. We have been able to find out some news from home and it sounds like Grand Cayman didn't get hit as bad as the two sister Islands. We don't have any firm news on our house and cats but the posts about Grand Harbor neighborhood seem to indicate that the flooding was limited and hopefully that means our house was spared. The big issue now for us will we get home Monday. The planes should start flying tomorrow and assuming that we don't get bumped down lists hopefully we get home Monday night. The government lets Caymanians and status holders in first followed by residents on work permit. There wasn't much time for people to evacuate so there shouldn't be a big group trying to get back. Tomorrow will be Universal Studios day so that should help us take our minds off the storm and home. Monday early we will drive back to Miami to finish up the seminar and then hopefully get our flight out.